Security News > 2021 > July > UK Spy Agency Releases Annual Threat Report
MI5's UK Annual Threat Update 2021 from director general Ken McCallum almost mirrors the threat warnings delivered by U.S. government agencies: ransomware and IP theft in cyber, and extreme right-wing terrorism amplified by online echo chambers.
McCallum's view is, "For as long as it's cheap and easy for hostile actors to try to access UK data; or to cultivate initially-unwitting individuals here; or to spread false, divisive information - they are bound to keep doing so." The UK house also needs to be got in order - and in both cases the call is for new and stronger legislation.
The primary difference between the U.S. and UK viewpoints is that the U.S. is currently focused on Chinese state-sponsored threats.
In the U.S. Homeland Threat Report of October 2020, the DHS wrote, "Among DVEs, racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists-specifically white supremacist extremists-will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland."
Finally, McCallum discusses an identical threat with an identical solution proposed by both the UK and the U.S. - end-to-end encryption and a proposed government-enabled back door for use under warranted circumstances.
The parallels between U.S. and UK threats being tackled by U.S. and UK intelligence agencies, and even the way they are described, are clear.